European Patent application no. 0 556 970 A1 describes a radio telephone which is suitable for receiving either of the SIM card formats. This radio telephone comprises an adapter which, for reading a large card, is placed in a cavity in order not to form an obstacle to the passage of the card and which, for reading a small card, switches by means of a pin/plate connection the contacts of the integrated circuit of the card to the connector of the card reader.
This solution has the following drawback: during the switching of the adapter, the latter protrudes from the body of the telephone and thus becomes vulnerable to impacts. A transversal impact actually ventures to break down the pivot link thus irredeemably separating the adapter from the body of the telephone.
In addition, this solution is relatively cumbersome which runs counter to the current tendency of miniaturization of mobile telephones.